Bahrain is to hold a census from April 7 to May 6, following the end of a land dispute with neighboring Qatar, a newspaper reported on Saturday.
Sheikh Ahmad bin Atiyatallah al-Khalifa, head of the general census project, said 1,500 Bahrainis had been employed for the month-long work, which will also include a survey of all properties.
The aim is "to get a comprehensive picture of the economic and social conditions in the country and implement necessary plans for all sectors," Sheikh Khalifa said in the Bahrain Tribune.
The census, which has been in the pipeline for the past two years, is expected to show a population of around 690,000, compared to 508,000 a decade ago. Foreign workers make up around 40 percent of Bahrain's residents.
Bahrain and Qatar on March 16 settled a decades-old territorial dispute through a ruling of the International Court of Justice in The Hague that was welcomed by both Gulf Arab states.
The court endorsed Bahrain's sovereignty over the Hawar islands and Qitat Jarada island, but the Zubara strip stayed in the hands of the Qatari peninsula, which was also awarded the Fasht al-Dibel rocks and Jinan island – MANAMA (AFP)
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